The Nigerian government, through the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), has directed publishers and other stakeholders to submit school textbooks for a fresh round of assessment, re-assessment, and ranking under a newly introduced quality assurance framework.
The move is aimed at overhauling Nigeria’s textbook approval process.
The executive secretary of NERDC, Prof. Salisu Shehu, in a public notice announced the commencement of the 2026 Phase 1 textbook assessment and ranking exercise, describing it as a key component of ongoing efforts to strengthen educational standards and ensure that only high-quality learning materials reach Nigerian classrooms.
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The new policy introduces a ranking system into the textbook approval process, a development expected to intensify competition among publishers while raising the benchmark for instructional materials used in schools nationwide.
According to the notice, all textbooks, including those previously assessed and approved for the targeted class levels, must be resubmitted for evaluation due to the introduction of new standards, benchmarks, and ranking requirements.
NERDC stated that the assessment exercise will be conducted in three phases. Phase 1 will cover textbooks and instructional resources for Primary 1, Primary 4, Junior Secondary School (JSS) 1, and Senior Secondary School (SSS) 1, while subsequent phases will focus on other class levels.
The council announced that submissions for Phase 1 will begin on June 8, 2026, and close on June 19, 2026, warning that late submissions will not be entertained.
“Assessment and ranking of books and other resources for the 2026 cycle shall be conducted in three phases,” the notice stated, adding that all materials intended for ranking must first pass through an enhanced assessment process based on newly approved quality benchmarks.
Publishers, authors, printers, distributors, and other players in the book industry have been urged to carefully study and comply with the revised Book Quality Guidelines and Submission Procedure available on the NERDC website.
The council also disclosed that the assessment and ranking of all submitted textbooks and instructional materials will be completed by July 31, 2026, paving the way for the publication of approved and ranked educational resources for schools.
